Chapter 1
"Professor Park..."
Eve is erasing the blackboard at the front of her Criminology 101 classroom when a familiar voice hits the nape of her neck like the murmur of a morning greeting. Her entire body simultaneously stills and shatters.
She would recognize the low, lilting, thick Russian accent of her former lover anywhere; when she turns to face the source of the smile slowly spreading against her face, she can feel her heart thrumming with excitement.
Villanelle is casually leaning against one of the student desks in the front row, hair pulled back in a low bun and a page boy hat pulled over her eyes. Eve unabashedly drinks in Villanelle's lean form, pupils running over a pair of black boots, oversized khakis, and a white button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone.
The ghost of a smile dances across Villanelle's lips and Eve can feel her watching her back even though she cannot see her eyes. She glances at Villanelle's bulging pockets, full with her fisted hands, and slowly walks towards her, closing the distance between them.
Eve looks up into Villanelle's face and audibly gasps when she notices the bruising and discoloration around Villanelle's eye sockets. Immediately, Eve's right hand slides beneath Villanelle's hat to remove it.
"Are you alright?," Eve asks, noticing the shift in energy upon her touch.
Although Villanelle looks older, her sharp features still retain a youthful energy as she nods slightly. Her eyes focus on Eve's parted lips and Eve instinctively licks her bottom one after Villanelle removes her hands from her pockets and slides both palms up and down Eve's back, pulling her in.
Resting her forehead against Eve's, Villanelle closes her eyes and shudders.
"You're crying," Eve says, wiping away the tears pooling at the corner of Villanelle's eyes. "We haven't even had reunion sex yet," she adds, pulling a laugh out of Villanelle's belly like a magician coaxing forth a string of scarves from thin air.
"You wouldn't want to have sex with me now. I'm all broken," Villanelle replies softly.
"What are you talking about?," Eve asks, her heart hammering against her chest as she tries to understand what Villanelle just said.
"You haven't seen this yet."
Villanelle reaches behind her to grab a beautifully designed wooden cane, its handle comprised of two intertwined women kissing.
Eve swallows quickly and places her left hand on top of Villanelle's right one.
"You think that is going to scare me away?," Eve asks, noticing how Villanelle is leaning on the cane with most of her weight.
"You're teaching Criminology to first-year law school students. I know it would take more than this to scare you away."
"There's that wit. Do you want to sit down?"
"Can we just walk over to your place now? If I sit down in these very small, very hard chairs, I will not be getting up."
"You've never had a problem before," Eve quickly replies, smirking.
Villanelle quirks an eyebrow and returns the smirk, making Eve's heart twitch. "You're worried about me. I'll have you know, I'm too handsome to be Mr. Rochester and you're too loud and far from simple to be Jane Eyre."
"Mr. Rochester?"
"Yes Jane?"
"Please shut up."
Eve slips her hand against the nape of Villanelle's neck and plants a wet, messy kiss on her lips, eliciting a surprised squeak from her. The noise changes into a throaty moan when Eve allows Villanelle to deepen the kiss and pushes her gently against the desk she was leaning against a few minutes before.
"You taste the same," Villanelle whispers into Eve's mouth, chest heaving up and down.
"So do you."
"Should I be concerned about an angry lover coming to interrupt us?"
Eve laughs and strokes Villanelle's cheek with the back of her knuckles. "Fortunately for you, you won't have to worry about that."
"You're not dating anybody right now?"
"Only my books. What about you? Are there any beautiful, wealthy wives out there looking for their runaway husband?"
"No," Villanelle grins, letting Eve reach for her free hand as she wields the cane in her right one.
"This door. I know a shortcut."
"I want to take the long way," Villanelle insists, her eyes grazing over the gray hairs on Eve's head and the wrinkles on her face that weren't there before.
"Are you sure?," Eve asks, looking at the beads of sweat across Villanelle's forehead and the obvious difference in her gait.
"Yes. I'll always want to take the long way with you."
Eve laughs and gives Villanelle another kiss. "Still the romantic, I see?"
"You haven't seen anything yet."
"Uh huh. Slow down, Romeo. I know how hungry you are. The only action you're going to be seeing will involve watching me cook."
"You cook now?"
"I've cooked for you before?"
"Eve, you almost burned your place down. I thought I would need to call the firefighters."
"Ha, ha. Very funny. And that's only because someone distracted me."
"Tell me more about this devastating blonde assassin."
"Who said I was talking about her?"
"You've gotten funnier."
"Miracles happen."
"Yes, you cook now."
Eve laughs and stops walking so she can give Villanelle another kiss.
"What was that for?," Villanelle asks, opening her eyes after Eve ends the kiss.
"I missed you."
"Now you have me."
"You're staying?"
"Will you have me?"
"Is that even a question?"
"Do you have a response?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Now what?"
"Now we walk and we eat. And we catch up. And we have lots of sex. And then we sleep and we wake up and we talk."
"Lead the way then."
"I'm trying to but you keep interrupting me."
"I can't help the way I look."
"Oh my god. Asshole."
"Didn't you just call me Romeo?"
"You can be both."
"I just want to be yours."
"What?"
"I don't want to be anything. Only yours."
"Are you dying?"
Villanelle stops walking and returns Eve's unwavering gaze. She smiles and takes off her hat to place it on top of Eve's head.
"We're dying every day, no?"
"Villanelle, just answer the question."
"No."
"You don't have any terminal illness?"
"Just love."
"Oh my god."
"I'm being serious, Eve. I can't work anymore. I'm a liability now. I just want to be with you."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yes. But if I find out from Bear that you were recently diagnosed with something and you're coming home to roost or whatever, I will personally kill you myself."
"Okay, Jane," Villanelle laughs, pulling Eve against her with her left arm and kissing the faux frown from her lips.